青蛙公主

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  In Imperial Russia, there lived a Tsar. He had three sons, the youngest of which was named Ivan.
  One day the Tsar asked each of his sons to shoot an arrow. In whatever court it falls, in that court there will be a wife for them.
  The arrow of the oldest 1)Tsarevitch fell on a 2)boyarhouse; the arrow of the second Tsarevitch flew to the porch of a rich merchant, and there stood a girl, the merchant’s daughter. The youngest, Ivan Tsarevitch, had the bad luck of sending his arrow into a swamp, where it was caught by a croaking frog.
  “How can I marry the frog?” complained Ivan. “Is she my equal? Certainly not!”


  “Never mind,” replied his father, “you have to marry the frog, for it is evidently your destiny.”
  Thus the oldest Tsarevitch was married to a nobleman’s daughter; the second to the merchant’s daughter, and the youngest, Ivan, to a croaking frog.
  After a while the Tsar called his three sons and said:
  “Have each of your wives bake a loaf of bread by tomorrow morning.”
  Ivan returned home, with his brow clouded.
  “C-R-O-A-K! Dear husband, why so sad?” gently asked the frog. “Was there anything disagreeable in the palace?”
  “Disagreeable indeed. My father wants you to bake a loaf of bread by tomorrow.”
  “Don’t worry. Go to bed. The morning hour is a better advisor than the dark evening.”
  Ivan went to sleep. Then the frog threw off her frogskin and turned into a beautiful, sweet girl, Vassilisa by name. She stepped out on the porch and called aloud:
  “Nurses and waitresses, come to me at once and prepare a loaf of white bread for tomorrow morning, a loaf exactly like those I used to eat in my royal father’s palace!”
  In the morning, Ivan awoke, the loaf was already made. It was adorned all about with pretty figures of towns and 3)fortresses, and within it was white as snow and light as a feather.
  The Tsar was pleased and Ivan received his special thanks. And the Tsar gave another order—have his daughters-in-law weave a rug. The frog prepared a rug with threads of silver and gold interwoven among bright-colored silk.
  But now, he wished for his sons to present their brides the next day.
  Ivan returned home, and cloudier was his brow than ever.
  The frog said:
  “It’s not so bad after all. You should go alone and I will follow you. When you hear a great noise, don’t be afraid; simply say: ‘There is my miserable froggy coming in her miserable box.’”   The two elder brothers arrived first with their wives, beautiful, and dressed in rich garments. Both the happy bridegrooms made fun of Ivan.
  “Why alone, brother? Why did you not bring your wife along? We wager that in all the swamps it would be hard to find another one like her!”
  Suddenly there came a noise! The palace trembled, the guests were all frightened. Though Ivan alone remained quiet and said:
  “No danger; it’s my froggy coming in her box.”
  To the red porch came flying a golden carriage drawn by six splendid white horses, and Vassilisa, beautiful beyond all description, gently reached her hand to her husband. He led her with him to the table. Vassilisa poured some wine into her left sleeve. She ate some fried swan, and the bones she threw into her right sleeve. Her sisters-in-law watched her and did the same.
  After the dinner, the guests began dancing and singing. Vassilisa came forward, as bright as a star, and danced with her husband.


  While dancing, Vassilisa waved her left sleeve and a pretty lake appeared in the midst of the hall and cooled the air. She waved her right sleeve and white swans swam on the water. The Tsar, the guests, the servants, and even a cat were all amazed. Her two sisters-in-law envied her. They also waved their sleeves, but instead, sprinkled wine all around and the swan bones flew in the face of the Tsar, which enraged him.
  In the meantime, Ivan ran home unseen, and burned the frogskin. When Vassilisa came back and found the skin lost, she cried to her husband, “Oh, dear Tsarevitch, what have you done? There was but a short time left for me to wear the ugly frogskin. The moment was near when we could have been happy together forever. But now I must bid you goodbye.” Vassilisa turned into a white swan and flew away through the window.
  Ivan wept bitterly. Then he went on a mysterious journey to look for her.
  One day he met an old man and told him all about his misfortune.
  “Vassilisa was born wiser than her own father, and as he envied his daughter’s wisdom he condemned her to be a frog for three long years. You shouldn’t burn the frogskin. But I pity you and want to help you. Here is a magic ball. In whatever direction it rolls, follow without fear,” said the old man.
  Ivan followed the magic ball. In a flowery field he met a big bear. Ivan took his bow and was ready to shoot.   “Don’t kill me, kind Tsarevitch,” said the bear. “Who knows but that I may be useful to you?” And Ivan did not shoot the bear.
  Along his journey, he also came across a white duck and a blinking hare. He let them go, too.
  He followed the ball to the deep blue sea where, on the sand, there lay a big dying fish.
  “O Ivan Tsarevitch!” prayed the fish, “have mercy upon me and push me back into the sea.”
  Ivan did so. Then the ball led Ivan to a strange, little wooden hut standing on hen’s feet, in which lived a most ugly witch. Ivan told the witch the story of his marriage, and that his only desire was to find her.
  “She is now in the palace of the horrible Koschei the Immortal. He watches her day and night and no one can ever conquer him. His death depends on a magic needle. That needle is within a hare; that hare is within a large trunk; that trunk is hidden in the branches of an old oak tree; and that oak tree is watched by Koschei as closely as Vassilisa herself, which means closer than any treasure he has.”
  Under her guidance, Ivan found the oak tree. But he was discouraged, not knowing what to do. Just then, an old acquaintance of his, the bear, came uprooting the tree. A hare jumped out of the trunk and ran fast; but another hare, Ivan’s friend, caught it and tore it into pieces. Out of the hare there flew high into the sky a grey duck, but the white duck struck it, and it lost an egg. When the egg fell into the deep sea and disappeared, Ivan couldn’t help but weep. Then, all of a sudden, the big fish he had saved came swimming up, and brought the egg in his mouth. How happy Ivan Tsarevitch was! He broke the egg and found the magic needle inside.
  Ivan Tsarevitch entered the dominions of Koschei, killed him with the magic needle, and found his dear Vassilisa. He took her home and they lived happily ever after.


  在沙皇俄国,曾有一位沙皇。他有三个儿子,年纪最小的名叫伊万。
  一天,沙皇让他的每个儿子各射一支箭。箭坠落到哪里,皇子们就要娶那儿的女子为妻。
  皇太子的箭坠落到一位贵族的宅邸;二皇子的箭落到了一位富商的门廊里,那儿站着一位姑娘,是个富商的女儿。最年轻的伊万皇子,却不幸把箭射到一片沼泽里,被一只呱呱叫的青蛙捡到了。
  “我怎么能娶一只青蛙为妻?”伊万抱怨道。“她配得上我吗?当然不!”
  “配不上也没关系,”他的父皇回应道,“你必须娶这只青蛙,因为显然这就是你的命运。”
  因此,皇太子娶了贵族的女儿;二皇子娶了商人的女儿;而最年轻的伊万皇子,娶了一只呱呱叫的青蛙。
  过了一段时间,沙皇召来他的三个儿子,说:
  “让你们各自的妻子在明天早上之前烤好一条面包。”
  伊万愁眉紧锁地回到了家里。
  “呱呱!亲爱的丈夫,为什么这么伤心?”青蛙温柔地问。“宫里有什么让你不顺心的事吗?”
  “确实让我不顺心。我父皇想要你在明天之前烤好一条面包。”
  “别担心。去睡吧。清早比黑夜更易解决问题。”
  伊万就去睡觉了。然后青蛙脱下她的蛙皮,摇身变成一位美丽可爱的姑娘,名叫瓦茜里莎。她走出门廊大声召唤:   “保姆和侍女们,马上来为我准备明天早上要吃的一条白面包,要和从前我在父皇的宫殿里吃的面包一模一样!”
  早上,伊万醒来时,面包已经做好了。整条面包外部都装饰着漂亮的城镇和堡垒图案,里面则洁白如雪花,松软如羽毛。
  沙皇很满意,伊万收获了特别感谢。沙皇又下了另一个命令——让每位儿媳织一块地毯。青蛙准备了一块混纺着金银丝的艳丽丝绸地毯。
  但现在,沙皇让儿子们第二天带各自的新婚妻子来朝见他。
  伊万回到家里,比之前更加愁眉紧锁。
  青蛙说:
  “情况倒也没那么糟糕。你先独自前去,我随后就到。当你听到一声巨响,不要害怕;只需说:‘我可怜的的青蛙儿坐在她粗陋的盒子里来了。’”
  两位皇兄携着娇妻先到了,他们的妻子很美丽,身着华贵的衣裙。这两位得意的新郎都取笑伊万。
  “皇弟,怎么自己一个人?怎么不带你妻子来?我们打赌在所有的沼泽里都找不到第二个像她这样的妻子了!”
  突然间一声巨响!宫殿被撼动了,所有宾客都受到了惊吓。唯独伊万保持了镇定,说道:
  “没有危险;是我的青蛙儿坐在盒子里来了。”
  六匹华丽的白马拉着一辆金色的马车飞到了红色的门廊里,美丽不可方物的瓦茜里莎款款伸出手,由丈夫牵着。伊万带她入席就座。瓦茜里莎把一些红酒倒进了自己的左衣袖。她吃了一些烤天鹅,把骨头扔进了自己的右衣袖。她的妯娌们看她这样做,也效仿她。
  宴会之后,宾客们开始唱歌跳舞。瓦茜里莎走上前来,和丈夫翩翩起舞,她像星星般光彩照人。
  跳舞过程中,瓦茜里莎挥挥左衣袖,一片美丽的湖泊就出现在了大厅中央,空气变得凉爽起来。她挥挥右衣袖,就有白天鹅在湖面畅游。沙皇、宾客们、仆人们,甚至在场的一只猫,全都感到很惊讶。她的两个妯娌眼红她,于是她们也挥动衣袖,但不见湖泊和天鹅,反而把酒洒得到处都是,把天鹅骨头甩到了沙皇脸上,令沙皇大为恼火。
  在此期间,伊万趁着没人看见溜回了家,烧掉了青蛙皮。等瓦茜里莎回到家,发现青蛙皮没了,就哭着跟丈夫说:“噢,亲爱的皇子,你都做了什么?本来我必须穿着丑陋青蛙皮的时间已经所剩无几。本来我们获得永恒幸福的时刻已经指日可待。但如今我必须和你道别。”瓦茜里莎变成一只白天鹅,从窗户飞走了。
  伊万痛苦地哭了。随后他踏上了寻找她的未知旅途。
  有一天,他遇到一位老人,就把自己的不幸遭遇告诉了他。
  “瓦茜里莎天生比她自己的父亲更有智慧。她父亲出于嫉妒,把她贬为一只青蛙,时间长达三年。你不应该烧掉青蛙皮。不过我可怜你,想帮助你。这儿有一个魔法球。它滚到哪儿,你就跟到哪儿,不要畏惧。”老人说。
  伊万跟着魔法球走。他在一片繁花茂盛的旷野遇到了一只大熊。伊万拿出弓箭准备射杀它。
  “不要杀我,善良的皇子。”大熊说。“谁知道,也许我会对你有用呢?”于是伊万没有射杀这只熊。
  在途中,伊万还遇到了一只白鸭和一只眨着眼睛的野兔。他也把它们放走了。
  他跟着魔法球来到一片蓝色的深海旁边,沙滩上躺着一条快死的大鱼。
  “噢,伊万皇子!”大鱼祈求说,“发发慈悲把我推回海里吧。”
  伊万照做了。随后魔法球把他带到了一个长着鸡脚的奇怪小木屋里,屋里住着一个极其丑陋的女巫。伊万把自己的婚姻故事告诉了女巫,并说他唯一的愿望就是找到自己的妻子。
  “她现在身处可怕的不死魔王科谢伊的宫殿里。他日夜看守着她,而且他不曾被任何人打败过。想要他死,就要拿到一根魔法针。这根针藏在一只野兔的身体里;野兔藏在一棵大树的树干里;树干藏在一棵老橡树的枝桠间;老橡树被不死魔王紧紧看守着,就像看守瓦茜里莎那么紧,这意味着看守得比他的任何财宝都要紧。”
  在女巫的指引下,伊万找到了橡树。但他不知该如何对付这棵树,一下子泄了气。这时,他的旧相识——大熊——来把树连根拔了起来。一只野兔从树干里跳了出来,跑得很快;但另一只野兔——伊万的朋友——抓住了这只野兔并把它撕碎了。一只灰鸭从野兔肚子里飞出来,飞到了高空中,但白鸭攻击了灰鸭,使它丢掉了一枚鸭蛋。鸭蛋掉进了深海里,不知所踪,伊万禁不住哭了起来。然后,突然间,他救过的大鱼游上来,嘴里衔着那颗鸭蛋。伊万王子高兴极了!他打破了鸭蛋,找到了里面的魔法针。
  伊万进入了不死魔王的领地,用魔法针杀死了他,并找到了他亲爱的瓦茜里莎。他把她带回了家,从此两人幸福地生活着。
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